2018 summer internship as a High School Senior (Is it possible?)

Hi,

I am a rising high school senior who plans on majoring in Finance in college. I have a 3.9 GPA and a 1570 on the SAT, as well as quite a few business related ECs. I also am really into coding; I've learned Java, Python, MATLAB, and right now I'm teaching myself C#. I've also done online tutorials for Finance in Excel. I would really like to have a paid internship in a finance related field next summer. I'll be 18 next summer, so there shouldn't be any age-related restriction or any that sort of thing. What would be my best options to look for? Do any BBs, MMs, or boutiques have any high school internship programs? Dallas or Houston are the closest major cities to me, but I could also probably stay with immediate family in NYC.

Should I use a free-trial of LinkedIn premium to connect with people and just randomly cold-email hundreds of people? Are there any specific industries that would be more receptive to having a high school student as an intern (i.e, PWM, LevFin?)

Also, I would prefer to find a internship in Hong Kong if possible. It seems like a fantastic place to have a career. (and has a 15% tax rate!) I don't speak any Cantonese, but I am taking Mandarin at the local university. By the end of high school, I will have studied six semesters of college Chinese. I am also spending 7 weeks later this summer in a language immersion program in China. I know I'll never be close to a native speaker's level of proficiency, but I feel pretty confident that I can become conversationally and business fluent, especially by the end of college. Is trying to get an internship as a high school senior in Hong Kong with no connections completely insane? Are there any specific banks in HK which I should target?

Thanks for your advice!

 

I don't have major connections per se, but I might have a few into IB through my dad (accounting). I could almost definitely get an internship at this little PWM place in town which a family friend runs.

 

If you really want to do an internship then PWM would be great. To get an IB position with a BB/MM bank in high school your dad would probably have to be like a F500 c-level exec/work for that specific firm in a leading role.

Another option is to shadow one of your dad's connects for a day/week. Would be pretty easy to arrange through your dad I assume.

I would also consider golfing all summer, but I respect your drive.

 

if you can seriously program, and you have proof (GitHub, competitions, etc) you can showcase that, that's how I got my internship. I doubt you'll get an actual IB or finance internship as a senior, however.

edit: didn't see this was for next summer. yeah you can easily get a PWM internship next summer if you apply yourself correctly. You have a whole year though my man, enjoy life, don't stress about banking just yet.

 

Before anything, I'd change your name on WSO to something that isn't actually your real name.

It isn't easy to get an internship, especially one where you'll actually be an value-add and learn some stuff, as a high school senior. I'd probably look at the wealth managers or even stock brokers in the area this summer.

Also, if you have any sort of network in finance from your high school friends, your parents, etc., or can manage to find a Carnegie Mellon alum in your area who is willing to take you on, this is the most preferable route. Offer to work unpaid and just try to get some experience - something you can put on your resume moving into your next few summers.

 

I'm a high school junior currently, so take my advice with a grain of salt. This past summer I interned at a hedge fund with 120mm AUM. I used the LinkedIn premium trial to message people in my area (Houston). I messaged two people and one responded months later after I lost all hope. I would recommend you do the same. I got incredibly lucky, but if you're smart enough for Carnegie I'm sure you can land something. Go for the smaller funds/boutique IB/whatever you're interested in. If you or your parents have any contacts utilize those as well.

Good luck, again, I'm sure you will find something.

 

not bulge-brackets will take you until your junior year of college. I would suggest searching local places and seeing if they will take you on as an intern. Try a search term for places such as "asset management (your town)'. You should get some pretty good hits that way. Also, here is a link to a thread containing a lot of the names of big and smaller banks, just as a reference:

https://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forums/searching-for-a-summer-internship

Let me know if you have any question/comments and if that helps.

Good luck in the search!

Array
 

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